# US 10,484,494 B2 · Methods and systems for alerting users regarding availability of unconsumed content

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 10,484,494 B2
- Document ID: US10484494B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/196,938
- Filed: 2016-06-29
- Published: 2018-01-04
- Granted: 2019-11-19
- Earliest claimed: 2016-06-29
- Assignees: Rovi Guides, Inc.
- Applicants: Rovi Guides, Inc.
- Inventors: Sakura Saito
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10484494B2

## CPC

- G06Q 10/00: Administration; Management
- G06F 21/10: Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material (protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16) {; Digital rights management [DRM]}
- G06Q 10/02: Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
- G06Q 30/02: Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
- G06Q 30/0207: Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
- G06Q 30/0224: {based on user history}
- H04L 65/612: for unicast
- H04L 67/02: based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
- H04L 67/10: in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network (software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46)
- H04L 67/52: specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
- H04L 67/535: {Tracking the activity of the user (network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34)}
- H04L 67/55: Push-based network services
- H04L 67/60: Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources (admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70)
- H04N 21/2407: {Monitoring of transmitted content, e.g. distribution time, number of downloads (arrangements for monitoring programmes for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/14)}
- H04N 21/2541: {Rights Management (protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08)}
- H04N 21/2543: Billing {, e.g. for subscription services (payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21)}
- H04N 21/25808: {Management of client data (terminal profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/303)}
- H04N 21/25825: {involving client display capabilities, e.g. screen resolution of a mobile phone (optimising the visualisation of content during browsing in the Internet G06F16/9577; processing of terminal status or physical abilities in wireless networks H04W8/22; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06)}
- H04N 21/25833: {involving client hardware characteristics, e.g. manufacturer, processing or storage capabilities (allocation of resources considering hardware capabilities in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/5044; allocation of resources considering software capabilities in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/5055)}
- H04N 21/25866: {Management of end-user data (customer care in data networks H04L41/5077)}
- H04N 21/2743: Video hosting of uploaded data from client
- H04N 21/41422: {located in transportation means, e.g. personal vehicle (arrangements specially adapted for transportation systems in broadcast systems H04H20/62)}
- H04N 21/4335: Housekeeping operations, e.g. prioritizing content for deletion because of storage space restrictions {(storage management, e.g. defragmentation G06F3/0604; unloading stored programs G06F9/445; storage management in file systems G06F16/10; buffering arrangements in a network node or in an end terminal in packet networks H04L49/90)}
- H04N 21/44204: {Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched (monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31)}
- H04N 21/4424: {Monitoring of the internal components or processes of the client device, e.g. CPU or memory load, processing speed, timer, counter or percentage of the hard disk space used (error monitoring in general G06F11/30; arrangements for monitoring conditions of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/32; diagnosis, testing or measuring for television receivers H04N17/04)}
- H04N 21/4432: {Powering on the client, e.g. bootstrap loading using setup parameters being stored locally or received from the server (resetting in general G06F1/14; program loading or initiating in general G06F9/445; bootstrapping in general G06F9/4401; secure boots of computer platforms G06F21/57)}
- H04N 21/4438: {Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface}
- H04N 21/4524: {involving the geographical location of the client (retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00)}
- H04N 21/4583: {Automatically resolving scheduling conflicts, e.g. when a recording by reservation has been programmed for two programmes in the same time slot}
- H04N 21/4627: Rights management {associated to the content (security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08)}
- H04N 21/47217: {for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks (specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312)}
- H04N 21/4882: {for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders (arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895)}
- H04N 21/6125: {involving transmission via Internet (transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82)}
- H04N 21/6175: {involving transmission via Internet (broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82)}
- H04N 21/8456: {by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments}
- H04N 21/26283: {for associating distribution time parameters to content, e.g. to generate electronic programme guide data}
- H04N 21/462: Content or additional data management e.g. creating a master electronic programme guide from data received from the Internet and a Head-end or controlling the complexity of a video stream by scaling the resolution or bit-rate based on the client capabilities
- H04N 21/47202: {for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand}
- H04N 21/6587: Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
- G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION

## Abstract

Methods and systems are described for a media guidance application that limits the incentive for authorized users to share content with unauthorized users, while still allowing users to access content virtually anywhere. Specifically, the media guidance application allows an authorized user to receive only a portion of a media asset that he or she is authorized to access on a different device, after a designated time period, and/or when the remaining portion of the media asset is inaccessible.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for alerting users regarding availability of unconsumed content, the method comprising:
generating for display a media listing for a media asset;
determining that a portion of the media asset is available on a first device;
comparing an amount of time of unconsumed content remaining in the media asset and an amount of time that the media asset is available on the first device; and
in response to determining that the portion of the media asset is available on the first device and determining that the amount of time of unconsumed content remaining in the media asset exceeds the amount of time that the media asset is available to the user on the first device,
generating for display action options including a first option to extend an availability of the media asset on the first device and a second option to download the portion of the media asset, corresponding to the unconsumed content remaining in the media asset to a second device.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
determining the amount of time the media asset is available to the user on the first device; and
determining the amount of time of unconsumed content remaining in the media asset.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, further comprising, in response to determining that the portion of the media asset is available on the first device and determining that the amount of time of unconsumed content remaining in the media asset exceeds the amount of time that the media asset is available to the user on the first device:
retrieving a threshold amount of time;
comparing the amount of time of unconsumed content remaining in the media asset to the threshold amount of time; and
in response to determining that the amount of time of unconsumed content remaining in the media asset does not correspond to the threshold amount of time, not generating for display the second option to download the portion of the media asset.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein the determination of the amount of time of unconsumed content remaining in the media asset is done prior to play back of the media asset.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein the first option and second option are simultaneously displayed with the media listing.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein the amount of time that the media asset is available to the user on the first device is based on a length of a subscription to a content provider that provides the media asset.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein the amount of time that the media asset is available to the user on the first device is based on a battery-life of the first device.

### Claim 8 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein the amount of time that the media asset is available to the user on the first device is based on a scheduling restriction of the user.

### Claim 9 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, further comprising:
extracting the portion of the media asset; and
transmitting an instruction to create a new media asset featuring only the portion of the media asset.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein the new media asset is available for download to the second device from a web server.

### Claim 11

A system for alerting users regarding availability of unconsumed content, the system comprising:
a database configured to store an amount of time of unconsumed content remaining in a media asset and an amount of time that the media asset is available on the first device; and
control circuitry configured to:
generate for display a media listing for the media asset;
determine that a portion of the media asset is available on the first device;
compare the amount of time of unconsumed content remaining in the media asset and the amount of time that the media asset is available to the user on the first device; and
in response to determining that the portion of the media asset is available on the first device and determining that the amount of time of unconsumed content remaining in the media asset exceeds the amount of time that the media asset is available to the user on the first device,
generate for display action options including a first option to extend an availability of the media asset on the first device and a second option to download the portion of the media asset, corresponding to the unconsumed content remaining in the media asset to a second device.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:
determine the amount of time the media asset is available to the user on the first device; and
determine the amount of time of unconsumed content remaining in the media asset.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to, in response to determining that the portion of the media asset is available on the first device and determining that the amount of time of unconsumed content remaining in the media asset exceeds the amount of time that the media asset is available to the user on the first device:
retrieve a threshold amount of time from the database;
compare the amount of time of unconsumed content remaining in the media asset to the threshold amount of time; and
in response to determining that the amount of time of unconsumed content remaining in the media asset does not correspond to the threshold amount of time, not generate for display the second option to download the portion of the media asset.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The system of claim 13, wherein the determination the amount of time of unconsumed content remaining in the media asset is done prior to play back of the media asset.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The system of claim 14, wherein the first option and second option are simultaneously displayed with the media listing.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The system of claim 15, wherein the amount of time that the media asset is available to the user on the first device is based on a length of a subscription to a content provider that provides the media asset.

### Claim 17 (depends on 15)

The system of claim 15, wherein the amount of time that the media asset is available to the user on the first device is based on a battery-life of the first device.

### Claim 18 (depends on 15)

The system of claim 15, wherein the amount of time that the media asset is available to the user on the first device is based on a scheduling restriction of the user.

### Claim 19 (depends on 15)

The system of claim 15, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:
extract the portion of the media asset; and
transmit an instruction to create a new media asset featuring only the portion of the media asset.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The system of claim 19, wherein the new media asset is available for download to the second device from a web server.